U=U Maryland Campaign

Last fall, Baltimore became the
newest city to join the worldwide scientific consensus that HIV-positive
individuals who are in treatment and have an undetectable viral load cannot
transmit the disease to their sexual partners – Undetectable=Untransmittable.

Since
then, the community-driven U=U Maryland campaign has worked to share this
critically important message statewide, including at an upcoming Lunch &
Learn workshop scheduled for Thursday, April 11th from noon to 1:30 pm at Chase
Brexton Health Care’s Mount Vernon Center (1111 North Charles Street, Baltimore).

The
session will include information from Dr. Sebastian Ruhs, director of Chase
Brexton’s Infectious Diseases Center of Excellence, as well as the stories of
community members who are living the U=U message.

We
asked Dr. Ruhs to share his thoughts about the U=U Campaign.

U=U
means Untransmittable Equals Undetectable. For those not in the know, what does
that mean?

The
goal of HIV treatment with medication is getting and keeping an undetectable
viral load. This means, the medications have decreased the amount of virus in
the blood to such low levels that we cannot detect it anymore. But the key is
to take the medications every day as prescribed. While we knew for a long time
that an undetectable viral load decreases the risk of transmission of HIV, we know
now that an individual with an undetectable viral load cannot pass the virus on
through sex. Undetectable = Untransmittable.

Are
there any drawbacks or caveats to the U=U message?

The
U=U message is based on large studies which all came to the same conclusion:
With an undetectable viral load HIV cannot be passed on to sexual partners. The
data is very clear and there really aren’t any drawbacks. Even large
organizations like the CDC support this statement. However, it is important to
understand that the emphasis of the campaign is on the first “U,” being
undetectable. Only when keeping an undetectable viral load by taking medication
daily, does U=U apply.

How
will U=U change the lives of those affected by HIV?

U=U
is an amazing campaign with the intention to fight the stigma of HIV. U=U means
that everyone can date whomever they like independent from HIV status, everyone
can have healthy kids and families, and have a normal life expectancy. Thanks
to this campaign we can all live happier and healthier together and forget
about the stigma with all the limitations it created in our minds.

How
aware are your HIV-positive patients of the U=U message? How do they view it?

There
are still many people who have not yet heard of U=U. It is important to be
vocal with this message until everyone has become familiar with it. At Chase
Brexton Health Care we are sharing this information in form of posters,
infographics, and conversations. The stigma of HIV had more than 30 years to
grow. It will take some time to get rid of it by sharing all this good news.
However, we are going in the right direction. U=U sends out an extremely
positive message without any ifs and whens.

What
do you think the future is for the U=U campaign, both locally and globally?

U=U will continue to grow, locally and internationally, until everyone has heard about it and until we have found a cure for HIV. The campaign will become a fundamental part of HIV treatment. It helps to encourage people to be on treatment and take medications daily. Be happy, be healthy. U=U.

For more about the U=U Maryland campaign, and to sign on with your support, visit Uequalsumaryland.org.